Editorial gender confused
Having read Wednesday's unsigned editorial, "Still wrestling with PETA's new stunt," (March 31) I find myself a little confused. The State Press has been tremendously supportive of the GLBT community of late, yet your editorial refers to a transsexual woman as "a man with enormous fake breasts."
What am I missing here? Were you insincere in your previous comments, which seemed supportive of the transgendered community? Or perhaps it was an administrative problem. Did no one proofread the unsigned?
Come on, folks. I'm sure you don't need me to explain the inappropriate nature of that phrase. You know better.
- E. Tristan Booth
Communication Graduate Student
State Press not a tabloid
We are appalled by the gratuitous nature of the picture you ran on the front page of the Wednesday edition of The State Press. First of all, tofu wrestling is NOT news. Anyone with any kind of news judgment would know that. On top of that, to focus on one person participating in the event who happens to have had a sex change is pure sensationalism. We thought The State Press was supposed to be an acclaimed newspaper, not a tabloid.
We didn't plan on reading the article until we decided that it wasn't right to judge it without understanding what the hard news line was ... however, we never found it. Furthermore, what is the focus? Is it the transsexual? Is it the tofu and PETA? If the idea was to inform people about the dangers of eating meat, where was the research, aside from the ranting of the transsexual? If it was supposed to be about the tofu, where were the quotes from people watching who agreed with eating tofu?
What about the transsexual's role in PETA and what she has contributed to the organization?
Lastly, you clearly thought the picture was worth placing on the front page, but what about the story? Guess the story wasn't worthy of being on the front page.
Leave the sensationalism where it belongs, on reality TV.
- Jen Girardin
journalism undergrad
Bad place to tofu wrestle
Ok, I'm one of the many male students who enjoy walking across our campus admiring the wonderful scenery, but tofu wrestling in front of a Christian center by a transsexual and former cover model from Penthouse & Playboy? Mud, oil or jello wrestling in a bar, OK, but tofu in front of a Christian center?? Come on. I'm all for people demonstrating about what they believe in, but what was that?? Pick a better place and a better example than tofu wrestling if you want to support the ethical treatment of animals.
- Lawrence Ripplinger
Construction undergrad
SRC censors punk voters
Dear (Howard Taylor, director of the Student Recreation Complex),
I would like to express my regret that the 2004 Punk Voter Tour will not be held on ASU's campus due to your concerns that you couldn't "safely put on the event." What concerns me is the lack of information regarding this decision, specifically what items could not be in place to ensure a safe environment.
Secondly, as a former event coordinator myself, I find it rather unprofessional informing the Programming and Activities Board of your decision a little over two weeks before the event. Such short notice can put an event like this into disarray, and if the safety concerns were so prevalent to ASU, initial approval should not have been given.
On April 4 the SRC fields hosted the "WB On Tour" featuring Socialburn, and local favorite The Format. The bottom line is that the Punk Voter Tour is a concert, just the same. Knowing the experience of the entire PAB staff, including the Concert Series staff, there is no doubt that they would have ensured proper preparation to accommodate the additional size of the Punk Voter Tour.
Additionally, you are quoted saying the SRC location "didn't even match the criteria that the [Punk Voter] tour sends out." From the research I performed, Tempe, ASU and especially an excellent location like the SRC, fit the criteria of the Punk Voter Tour exactly.
The political tone of the concert is more or less the last reason why I can logically understand ASU Officials opposing the event. The Punk Voter Tour takes a strong stand politically, and that could lead to an active crowd attending the concert for the music, as well as to make a political statement. However, when has ASU practiced censorship in what concerts they do allow and what they don't?
To the average reader, ASU denying the concert is only solidifying their political stance with the current leaders in D.C., seeing that censorship is exactly what they practice, with little or no reason other than "safety." (i.e. President Bush wanting to censor what his executive advisers say for the sake of national safety, claiming that public testimony could jeopardize security.)
As a last note, I have coordinated events of even greater magnitude than the Punk Voter Tour, including ones that have included alcohol, which usually means more problems. The SRC fields would be an ideal location for such a concert, and, in reality, very little would come into conflict.
- Russ Perry
ASU Apple Representative
